Bran, Bran, Is He The Man?

Mikhail Gorbachev once said, “If not me, then who? If not now, then when?”

Who is this guy? Who is this newcomer? Who is this former Cabinet Minister? Who is this great businessman? Who is this man that has started this party called DNA? Who does he think he is? These are questions that Bahamians are now asking. And for good reason.

No one single person in recent Bahamian politics has aroused such a stir that is now running wild on the lips of the Bahamian electorate in homes, bars, churches, on the bus and at the Fish Fry. Bran the man, I hear them say.

Is Branville McCartney the nemesis of the leaders of the PLP and the FNM? Will he be the reason that the Rt Honourable Hubert Ingraham and the Rt Honourable Perry Christie exit frontline politics? Will he be the reason that these great Bahamian men are forced out of politics rather than bowing out gracefully?

Branville McCartney is not a career politician. He is a first time Member of Parliament. And this is what makes his current profile appealing; a first time MP who has not been afraid to stand up for what he truly believes in. He is bipartisan to party, but he seems rather partisan to Bahamians at large. This has caught the eyes of many in the political divide that see his stance as an admirable lost art and as something that threatens the fraudulent systems currently in place. Is he the Barack Obama of 2008 who fired up an entire nation?

Mr Branville McCartney has been the epitome of what a Member of Parliament should be in the Bahamas. His programmes in the Bamboo Town constituency have been unmatched and no doubt have positively influenced his constituents. His approach has always been community first and he seems to be in tune with the issues that Bahamians face daily. There are too few MPs who employ the precision planning and work ethic that Mr McCartney puts into his constituency and this is one of the reasons that Mr McCartney has been a beacon of hope in the eyes of many Bahamians.

I do believe that Mr McCartney represents a growing Bahamian electorate who are now ready for a “fresh wind “and who believe “it’s time for a change.” I believe Mr McCartney represents those who believe “hope is on the way.” I believe Mr McCartney represents Bahamians who say “it is too late for two straight.” I believe he represents persons who are now calling for the empowerment of Bahamians in the real sense. I believe that Mr McCartney represents a hope that many Bahamians feel has been absent from successive governments.

Will the DNA win the next general election? Will Mr McCartney even win his seat? It is too early for me to call. Will the DNA form the official opposition? History is not on his side. But whatever happens, Mr McCartney must use these initial steps and trials as stepping stones. The old adage, “Rome was not built in a day” must be the DNA’s theme song.

The time is ripe for change in the Bahamas and the Branville McCartney now finds himself as that change agent right in the middle of the upcoming fire storm. Who is Branville McCartney? Time will tell us sooner than we think.